From their secluded perch atop the cliff above the beach, they could see him directly below, dancing in the sand, alone. “See, I told you,” he whispered to his girlfriend, “He’s here every Saturday evening, just before it gets real dark. Here, take a look through my binoculars.”
She adjusted them to her own eyes and watched the man moving below with fascination. As she did, she murmured, “He reminds me of Ted Danson in ‘Body Heat’. Remember? We rented it last month. ”
“Oh, yeah,” he said, “He danced on the pier during those hot summer nights to catch the cool breezes coming off the Gulf. Smooth, lithe, carefree, and smiling. His character danced to escape his daytime persona.”
She put down the binoculars and wondered, “That’s your explanation, huh? That’s why this older guy drives all the way down from Portland once a week just to dance alone in the sand in the dark? And you said it only lasts for about ten, fifteen minutes at the most. Weird.”
“Well, think about it,” he mused. “Just watching this guy makes me sort of want to do the same thing. You know, just let go of everything and dance. Maybe that’s all it takes, just a few minutes of joyous abandon, and then back to the grind. Kind of a battery recharge and all.”
“You think being with me is a grind? Is that what this is all about? You bring me out here to watch some weirdo dance by himself so you don’t have to come right out and tell me what you really feel about our relationship,” she quipped, taking another look with his binoculars.
“Shh! Keep your voice down, okay? He’ll hear us,” he whispered in annoyance.
“Well, maybe he should hear us. Maybe we need someone to explain our situation to you because you obviously are not really happy with the way things are going, are you? Battery recharge, my ass!” she hissed back.
“Okay, I’m listening to you. I understand what you’re saying , but just keep it down until he leaves, please! We’ll have plenty of time to talk afterwards, but this guy will be dancing for only a few more minutes.”
“Fine. Recharge. Whatever!”
As they stopped talking and just watched the dancing man on the sand below, the last light faded. And with that, the man on the beach stopped dancing, brushed himself off, picked up his suit jacket and started walking back towards the parking lot. As they watched and listened, it seemed like he was singing to himself, but it was hard to understand the words with the wind off the ocean and all.
They both just laid there in their hidden perch, breathing softly, and staring out onto the empty beach and the ocean beyond. Finally, he softly asked her, “Would you like to go down there and dance with me? Just for a few minutes, in the sand. Then we could just sit and talk things out. Interested?”
She turned to him, nodded, and as they both stood up, she took his hand in hers , squeezed it tightly, leaned against his shoulder and purred, “We need this.”
The man in the suit opened his convertible door and sat down in the driver’s seat. As he brushed off his feet and put his socks back on, he thought about his schedule for the upcoming week, “Let’s see, that guy in Canon Beach wants me dancing on the beach tomorrow night, then there’s the guy in Gearhart the night after that. Easy money!”
End